


Friends Forever

by MarshIsATheatreGeek



Category: Lost Or Found (Play)
Genre: Angst, Asken, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Oneshot, i hc that aspen has anxiety so ull see a lot of that here : u
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-28 17:59:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18761515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarshIsATheatreGeek/pseuds/MarshIsATheatreGeek
Summary: (( THIS IS A WORK WRITTEN FOR MY SCHOOL’S ORIGINAL PLAY ))Aspen and Kenji have always been best friends, joint at the hip since childhood, but when an unpleasant event occurs that drives the two apart, will they be able to rebuild their friendship?





	Friends Forever

_It's_ _over_.

A heavy pile of lead made itself at home ontop of his chest as he stared at the piece of paper placed atop his desk, his gaze never wavering for even a second.

The bold red writing engraved onto the top right corner stuck out like a sore thumb, though its content was far more eye-catching.

 _AP_.

He had swore to himself, held himself at gunpoint just to prevent this very thing from happening again, but it just wasn't enough to promise.

The failures he had kept locked away in the tiny compartments hidden within the dark caves of his mind were set free, becoming too agonizingly apparent for his liking.

It sharply cut through his decently constructed defenses, with nothing that could be salvaged remaining after its siege.

No reinforcement plan his brain attempted to summon up was apt for the situation, but the reason for the lack of one should've been obvious.

He had intentionally left out the possibility of an unfavorable outcome.

He had assumed that giving it any fuel would ignite it into a flame, and he would surely be set aflame and burn to the ground, but it seemed that it was inevitable.

A cold, mirthless voice quite like his own reverberated through his blank mind, filling it up with overwhelmingly apathetic and cruel words that made him feel disgusted in every precaution he had taken to get to this moment.

 _It_ _wasn't_ _enough_.

 _Of_ _course_ _it_ _wasn't_.

The intellectuals never refused the chance of failure, infact, they willingly _embraced_ their mistakes and came out just as intact as they were before, if not more solid.

Aspen wasn't like that.

Instead, he broke like a porcelain doll, shattering into a million, minuscule pieces with no one around to sweep him up and glue him back together again.

In all honesty, did he even measure up to the amount of time and effort it would take to collect all the parts for him to regain his form?

He wasn't perfect, and that meant he was _worthless_ in his scrutinizing eyes.

It was an enigma how self-critical he was with nobody but himself. He didn't hold his _friends_ to such high and impossible standards, so why did he find it so hard to apply to himself?

Well, whatever the answer to this rhetorical question was, he didn't want to know.

Currently, it was in his best interests to give himself the suitable punishment for disappointing not only himself, but his loved ones.

Tears followed the shape of his round, oval-like face, dripping down his chin and dropping to the ground with minimal noise, though he wouldn't have known due to his steadily blurring vision.

His throat went dry, closing up and tightening in on itself to block a stray sob from finding its way up and out into the open.

He had failed _again_.

If only he hadn't been so _idiotic_ , if only he had re-read his notes, or extended his time spent awake and drilling each and every point into his head, if _only_ -

"Aspen? Dude, are you okay?"

Kenji, his best friend since childhood, peered down at him, his brown eyes shining with concern.

His inquiry cut through the melancholic feelings like scissors would with paper, the pity laced in between each syllable a sickening brew that he was forced to consume.

"I'm _fine_ , Kenji."

He snapped, appalled by how vulnerable he was at this very moment.

He couldn't let anyone, let alone _Kenji_ , who was known for his relentless teasing, see him like this.

"Whoa, dude, chill out. What's the matter?”

Kenji questioned, growing increasingly worried with every second that ticked by without a response.

"I said I'm _fine_."

Aspen repeated, a rattlesnake shaking its tail as a warning signal to desert before it lashes out, fangs bared.

"Hey, I wasn't-"

The brunet's eyes travelled downwards, reaching their destination and connecting the dots once they got there.

The paper, Aspen's tear-streaked cheeks, the grade.

It was now suddenly all laid out before him like an open book, but he felt like he shouldn't have taken it off the shelf, let alone be perusing its contents.

It was almost like him bearing witness to such a heartbreaking sight was by complete accident, and it would have been better without his interference.

However, Kenji being Kenji defiantly stood up against his better judgement to be there for his friend.

"Dude.. I'm so sorry, but.. y'know, grades don't define you, bro."

As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, formed by his inexperienced tongue, a pang of regret shot through him like a harpoon, hitting its mark dead center.

In that moment, Aspen's face morphed from anguish to pure, unbridled _fury_.

" _Ugh_! Will you just leave me _alone_ already?! You're not helping, so why don't you just _go_?!"

The bespectacled boy shrieked, indignantly denying Kenji's sorry attempt at comfort.

Despite the advice given being as sound and as logical as possible, he wasn't in the _mood_ for logical.

Right now he was too preoccupied with his irrational declarations of the world ending, of his future falling apart at the seams to care about the truth of the matter.

It would prove to be a foolish decision, judging by the hurt flashing across Kenji's face and his sudden departure before Aspen could utter a word of apology.

He didn't allow himself to ponder whether he had made the right choice, opting to send himself into a downward spiral of bad feelings and thoughts for the rest of the day which would only be appeased if he managed to ace the next assignment that was rapidly approaching.

 

—-

 

Aspen didn't get much sleep that night, replaying the moment Kenji's face curled in shock and defeat before he took his leave.

He felt unbearably guilty for each and every venomous word he had chucked straight at the person who had been attempting to assist him through a tough time.

Kenji didn't _deserve_ that.

The achievement of receiving good marks didn't taste as sweet as he had anticipated it would be.

Perhaps it was due to the gaping Kenji-shaped hole in his heart caused by their estrangement, or perhaps it was because his desire for exceeding expectations was insatiable and would not accept only one good occurrence.

Either way, it was quite a nuisance to deal with, especially considering the fact that he had already received what he was in desperate need of yesterday.

What more did he have to do?

He barely registered his teacher's congratulations and his class's applause until he was being gently nudged forward and towards the front of the classroom.

He bowed his head in thanks, a practiced smile of gratitude playing on his features that dissipated the moment he sat down.

He should've been ecstatic, should've been jumping off the walls due to his excitement, but he felt oddly hollow and empty, like some part of him had gone missing and was yet to turn up anywhere he looked.

He breezed through the rest of the discussion, the telltale sound of the bell ringing signifying the beginning of recess.

His shoes tapped against the floor rhythmically as he carried himself in a steady stride towards the cafeteria, but this was soon interrupted by a familiar face, grinning exuberantly at him.

"Hey, Aspen. Good job."

Kenji praised, placing a hand on Aspen's shoulder, his face crinkling into an even wider smile than the one before.

The limb was quickly retracted, and the boy he had been yearning to see all day was turning back to walk in the opposite direction.

 _No_. _It_ _couldn't_ _end_ _like_ _this_.

Kenji and him went way back to their early days of childhood, a time of blissful ignorance to the weight of the world that was waiting to take a seat on their shoulders.

A time where everything was less complicated, less messy.

He couldn't just let Kenji go after all they'd been through together. After years of bonding and getting to know one together. Years of ups and downs that would always result in them getting back on track and enduring it all.

It just wasn't _possible_.

He couldn't imagine a world without his best friend, and he wasn't about to allow himself to get a glimpse of it, so he surged forward, grabbing Kenji's arm and turning him around before enveloping him in a tight hug.

"Whoa! Hey, what's up?"

Kenji blinked, looking down at Aspen who refused to meet his gaze.

"I'm sorry."

The bespectacled boy murmured, his voice wrecked with emotion as he buried his face in Kenji's mustard yellow jacket.

"Dude, it's okay. It's fine!-"

"No, it's not."

Aspen cut in, refusing to let Kenji brush it off before he could explain himself or communicate what was running through his head at that moment.

"I was a jerk to you, and you were just trying to help me."

Kenji's eyes widened as he fully grasped the guilt Aspen had been saddled with prior to this moment.

He himself had felt sad due to the outburst, but he had written it off as Aspen needing time to recharge and rejuvenate.

Never would he have ever guessed that it had been eating him up this entire time.

He felt it to be his obligation to ease the burden making itself at home inside of Aspen, not wishing for his friend to suffer just because of a minor mistake.

"Okay, stop na. I forgive you."

He finally slammed the breaks on the feels trip, hugging Aspen back for all it was worth to really bring his point home.

He felt the other boy lean into his touch, the steady breathing signifying that Aspen was calming down.

They stayed like that for a while, simply being with each other with no other duties to take care of.

For a moment, it felt just like old times again when they had all of the time in the world and nothing to lose.

It was refreshing, like the feeling of cold water crashing down on you after the heat of the scorching sun, and both of them never wanted it to end.

It was Kenji who pulled away first, remarking that they should get something to eat before the time given to have recess ended.

Aspen agreed, hurriedly letting go and turning back to pick up his lunchbox before following Kenji outside of the building.

They exited hand in hand, laughter ringing throughout the place as an unspoken truth was whispered in the winds all around.

 _Friends_ _forever_.

**Author's Note:**

> i love writing for these characters, theyre so developed and genuine for a school play, and i deeply adore them ^v^
> 
> ~marsh <3


End file.
